I have been very busy with work and travelling this week, however two stories caught my attention. Although they involved Black children, what I found interesting and most revealing was the reaction of the African American community to both stories.

The first story had to deal with FOXNews personality Glenn Becks spoof of a conversation between President Obama and his daughter Malia on plugging the hole of the oil leak in the Gulf. During a press conference on Thursday, Obama stated: “When I woke up this morning and I’m shaving, and Malia knocks on my bathroom door and she peeks in her head and she says, ‘Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?’ “ Beck did a skit on his radio program mocking what this conversation would sound like (here). When I first heard of this story, I thought “hell no, let’s kick Glenn Becks azz!” I read headlines in the MSM such as, “Beck Attacks Obama’s Daughter!” and “Glenn Beck Crosses Line, Teases Malia Obama!” etc. As far as I’m concerned, children are (should be) off limits in political debates. Unfortunately that is certainly not the case in American politics.

However, once I read these articles I thought to myself, there has to be more to the story than this. What Beck did may be considered in bad taste and juvenile, but it was pretty tame, I would even say “inconsequential”, when compared to what was said of Sarah Palin’s children during the 2008 presidential campaign. Still in my“as a father” induced rage, I went to where I would hope to get the real story, a true perspective of what was said and in what context: the African American media and blogging community. Imaging my (non) surprise when I found a parroting of the MSM reports: theloop21, theRoot, the Field Negro. Maybe a little more of an emotional response, understandable since Beck mocked the Black Messiah and the First Daughter, but I found nothing more of any value.

The second story that caught my attention this week involved an RCMP officer who returned from Haiti and reports that orphans are being smuggled into the Dominican Republic to be used as sex slaves and in child sex videos (read article here). Once again in my “as a father” induced rage, I went to where I would hope to get the real story, a deeper perspective of what was actually happening: the African American media and blogging community. Imaging my (non) surprise when I found nothing at all in regards to this story.

So what ignites African American pseudo-intellectual rage? Glenn Beck’s childish antics or the worldwide phenomenon of sexual exploitation of Black/African children? I saw on Field Negro’s blog, a call to boycott Beck’s sponsors. Really!? Does Glenn Beck have that much power on the quality of life in the African American community!? How about calling for a boycott of the corporations that fund the militias in the Congo that rape women and girls, so that these corporations can control the mineral resources of the country (here).

I’m sure the Obamas, especially Malia Obama, isn’t losing any sleep over the comments of Glenn Beck. She will do more than “okay” in this life. With the prestige and privileges now associated with the “Obama” name, her life will be more like the black princess in the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. In contrast, there will be soon be the release of countless sex videos starring nameless Haitian orphans for the African American media and blogging community to ignore, while eagerly waiting to report and comment on the next Glenn Beck fiasco.

I’m a relatively new Christian. I returned to the Lord in 2003 after having been away since I was a teen in the 70’s. I went on to do exactly as I dreamed when I was a child, to work in the Main Public Library of San Francisco. I so much enjoyed having access to so many books, and so many points of view and so much knowledge. I became very greedy for knowledge and was fascinated by it all. I read books on Ancient Egyptian history, African American history, Black Literature, Feng Shui, Astrology-I really studied this one, Crystals, How to’s on every subject, Hair care, Fashion, Novels, back to religion–Wicca, native worship, voudou, nature worship, I even tried to read the Quran. This “wisdom” journey has taken me 25 years until I came full circle and finally picked up the Bible.

That’s when my new life began. I had to learn how to learn. I had to unlearn some habits that were not conducive to studying the Bible. I’m in the process of overcoming envious attitudes toward mature Christians who seemed to know the Lord better than I. I had an attitude of competition in the things of God. I wanted to be a prayer warrior because I saw someone who was. I wanted to preach like the best preachers and teach like the best teachers. I wanted to quote the Bible like those who do. I tried to learn Scriptures by rote memorization. My entire attitude was quantity so as to impress, rather than quality so as to influence.

I’m thankful to God for choosing me and I grateful for His love and patience in teaching me through the power of the Holy Spirit working in me. Seeking and learning of Jesus has been the best thing, the best journey of my life. I don’t regret my round about way back to Him but I’m so glad that I returned and belong to Jesus! His peace washes over me in my times of doubt, greed, self condemnation, confusion, selfishness–and I still experience all of these and many other emotions, but I learn deeper lessons through each situation. Bless the Lord for He is Good and His mercy endures forever.

My advice for living in these extremely difficult times: JESUS is the answer!

I think HBO comedian, political commentator, and talk show host Bill Maher said it best. Mr. Maher said that conservative Libertarian candidate Rand Paul is the equivalent of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin if she could make it through medical school. In an interview on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, the new darling of the Tea Party movement, Mr. Paul, was asked point blank about his skepticism regarding the validity of certain components of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Mr. Paul sparked controversy when he suggested to Ms. Maddow that the government had meddled too far into private enterprise with the passage of laws that were intended to put an end to America’s institutionalized racial discrimination that still permeated the country despite a series of court decisions that found racial segregation and racial discrimination wrong. Ms. Maddow gave Mr. Paul an opportunity to explain his position on the matter. But instead of making a clear statement whether or not legislation designed to help assure racial accord was appropriate when asked for a yes or no, Mr. Rand continued to do his best political dance around the issue. He did not say that he opposed any laws guaranteeing fair treatment to racial minorities. But to some dismay he clearly did not say that he supported laws that guaranteed the fair treatment of racial minorities.

If I understand Mr. Paul’s point, government should not be in the business of telling private individuals and institutions that they must open their businesses to everyone. Mr. Paul believes that a truly free society is one that allows businesses run by people who are racist or people who condone racism from their employees to pick and choose what segment of our social fabric they will do business with. A government that is intended to provide for the general welfare of the public should not be empowered to assure the equal and fair treatment of anyone. Mr. Paul says that he does not condone racism. But even though racism may be an evil in our midst, government weeding out the evil of racism is an even bigger evil.

A business does not operate free from any obligation to the entire social collective regardless if it is a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or some corporate entity given life by the stroke of some government official’s pen. Any business that operates in our communities enjoys the benefits of being part of our social collective. The roads that lead to any business and to its customers are provided by the public. The utilities that provide services to the business operate under the purview of our collective authority. The people who work in a given business are educated with our tax dollars. Even private schools operate according to parameters laid down by our social structure. A business enjoys the security of being protected from foreign entities by the United States government and its diplomatic and military machines. Any given business in our community operates under the protection of the United States economy and the value of the dollar. And although we often criticize our economic policy, our political leaders, selected by the voters, bend over backwards to protect the interest of businesses. Businesses get a lot of benefit from being part of our community.

But now, people like Rand Paul want to say that it isn’t appropriate for us to assure that businesses that enjoy the benefits of being part of our entire society keep up their end of the bargain. People like Mr. Paul want to say that businesses that reap the benefits of being in our American social structure should not be obligated to reciprocate to everyone in America. In Mr. Paul’s tolerance for racism, people should not expect equal and fair treatment from private entities that suck up public resources. It is Mr. Paul’s opinion that racism is a right that should be protected and it should not be viewed as some form of social disorder.

The freedom of business owners to deny whomever they wish a service or a product should not be given precedence over our public concept of social equality. The freedom of a business person to exercise their right to be racist should not be given precedence over our freedom to be treated fairly and our right to equal treatment.

Rand Paul can tout his tolerance for discrimination as some kind of twenty first century enlightenment against the evil of a government run amok. But the fact of the matter is that this is nothing more than old fashioned racism rearing its head and coming back strong after just a few decades of being on the down low. People are saying we have the right to be racist. That just might be true.

But our social collective not only has the right not to indulge racism, we each have an obligation to root it out call attention to it when we encounter racial discrimination or even the potential for racism. I know I like to think that I do my fair share. And today, I would like to call your attention to the racism of Rand Paul. A conservative Libertarian who would rather see blacks and other minorities discriminated against rather than see our government step up to the plate and nip racial discrimination in the bud as best it can. If Mr. Paul is elected, people all across this great nation of ours will have a hope that one day they can pull their “Whites Only” signs out of their attics or basements or garages or wherever they might have been put when our social order woke up and realized the long term impact that our tolerance for racism was causing to our national community.

Of course Mr. Paul can have his view that a truly free society must tolerate racism. He is a white man who would benefit greatly from the social conflict that comes with racism compared to how much he would actually suffer. Very few businesses would turn him and his kind away. They operate in the generic majority with control of well over ninety five percent of the resources and wealth in this country. But for racial minorities, the election of Mr. Paul and the people who support his views should be another clear sign that racism is far from over.

I saw an interview with Barbara Harris ofProject Prevention on BBC HARDtalk. Her organization offers cash incentives to women that are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol to use long-term or permanent birth control. See part of that interview here. Controversial issue no doubt.

Previous generations of African Americans sought greater freedom in France – and some thought they found it. But for Frances growing African and Muslim minority, “applying for a job with Arab-sounding name such as Mustafa, Mohammed, Nadia or Fatima remains a challenge.”

In the early 1930’s many African American artists fled to Paris in order to escape racial inequalities and the constant oppression and dehumanization experienced in the United States. Liberty, Fraternity and Equality, a motto celebrating freedom that traces its roots to the French revolution, was what attracted many African American expatriates such as James Baldwin and Josephine Baker who found acceptance in what they perceived as a generous France, liberal, receptive and a champion of social equality and civil rights.

Unexpectedly, many found a different reality. World-renowned African American essayist James Baldwin witnessed a deep hatred and unequal treatment of French North Africans. Baldwin pledged support for Algerians (referring to them as “Paris’s niggers”) while vehemently opposing the way white French would treat its own minorities, thereby debunking the notion of color-blind liberal France.

It is thus not surprising that French pretensions to racial equality hold little credibility for the many disenfranchised and marginalized North Africans within her borders. The 2005 riots in France’s most underprivileged cities were the result of ongoing racial and ethnic tensions. These tensions have highlighted the profound disconnect between the French Republic and Muslim youth, who are perceived and treated by the larger French society as radical thugs.

The lives of many French-Magrehbi youth are circumscribed by limited access to education in substandard, subsidized low-rent housing in heavily Pan-African suburbs – a ghettoization not found anywhere else in Europe but mirroring housing projects in American’s most under-served urban areas. High unemployment, which in turn leads to increased juvenile delinquency, has led many young Muslims to fall prey to religious radicalism with all the negative political implications this entails for France and the war against terrorism.

Applying for a job with Arab-sounding names such as Mustafa, Mohammed, Nadia or Fatima remains a challenge for most French North Africans, who feel that they are discriminated against due to their dual heritage. Many feel pressuredto adopt French-sounding names, like Nadine instead of Nadia, Maurice instead of Mustafa. Still, their chances of finding employment are slim. For ghettoized North African youth, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality is an empty slogan.

The lack of equal employment opportunities is a reality experienced amongst many French North Africans who feel that no matter how much they try, they will never be provided with the same opportunities accorded to their French white counterparts. This reality is reflected in the organizational charts of French corporations, revealing a systematic white corporate ceiling culture. Racism is indeed well and alive in France.

With an increasingly diverse population, France must realize that it cannot keep burying its head in the sand. Race relations and inequalities have created an unprecedented crisis.

It is in France’s interest to regain its credibility as a champion of human’s rights by aggressively promulgating laws that celebrate cultural and religious differences. At the same time, France must invest in its crumbling educational system and rejuvenation of the inner cities. France must find a way to attract minorities to professional fields that have historically been denied to them rather than tracking Africans to vocational trades. And the government must enforce stiff penalties against companies that practice discriminatory hiring.

France needs a highly educated work force that includes African lawyers, judges, doctors, politicians, journalists, corporate executives and scientists, but above all, an honest national discourse that celebrates cultural differences while acknowledging France’s role in slavery and colonialism – something France has yet to do.

Commentary submitted by Sounia Johnson, a French/Algerian Los Angeles based correspondent for the North-Africa Journal.